Defense News** reported today that next summer, the United States will conduct nuclear submarine maintenance work in Australia for the first time. It has been learned that the US Navy plans to send an "Emory S. Rand"-class submarine support ship AS-39 "Emory S. Rand" to Australia, and 30 Australian Navy servicemen will be on board to learn how to Xi repair the "Virginia"-class nuclear submarine. The initiative is part of the US-UK-Australia Trilateral Mechanism (AUKUS), which aims to establish early preparations for a nuclear submarine maintenance capability at Stirling Naval Base in Western Australia over the next few years.
Deputy Secretary of the Navy Eric Raven said the U.S. Navy has embarked on a number of steps since the announcement of the AUKUS "best path" roadmap in March. The roadmap outlines three phases of Australia's acquisition of nuclear submarines, including the deployment of U.S. and British nuclear submarines near Stirling, Australia's purchase and use of new or used Virginia-class nuclear submarines, and Australia's own construction and operation of Project AUKUS nuclear submarines. Raven also revealed that Australia has sent naval officers, sailors and civilians to learn Xi maintenance procedures for attack nuclear submarines at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and Barrow-in-Furness, England.
Australia is upgrading the Stirling base and plans to carry out a maintenance mission for the submarine next summer, with 30 Navy members expected to be joined by the submarine support vessel. In addition, Australian sailors will begin service on American nuclear submarines in 2024, while naval engineering maintenance crews will also be involved in maintenance work at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard. To support these plans, Raventown urged members of Congress to pass the four legislative proposals submitted by the U.S. Navy as soon as possible to ensure smooth implementation of the plans.
The legislative proposals relate to the training of Australian workers in the construction and maintenance of nuclear submarines, the possibility of direct delivery of nuclear submarines to Australia, and the modernization of the U.S. export control system.